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Consumers confident about healthcare knowledge, business owners less so

Consumers confident about healthcare knowledge, business owners less so

Thanks to health insurance quotes, many Americans know what the average cost of premiums are for health plans. And in a similar vein, consumers are also confident about the type of policy they want for themselves or those whom they provide for, a new survey suggests.

According to a poll conducted by Deft Research on behalf of the pharmaceutical firm Express Scripts, six in 10 consumers who are already insured say they have confidence that the plan they're thinking about buying is the right one for them. A similar percentage - 53 percent - of people who were uninsured expressed similar sentiments.

Julie Huppert, vice president of health reform for Express Scripts, noted that this is a positive sign, given the upcoming implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. People opposed to the health reform law say the program is unnecessarily confusing.

"Given some of the complexities surrounding healthcare reform changes and the new options being made available to Americans, it is encouraging to learn that the majority of those being most affected are confident they will be able to navigate the system successfully," said Huppert. "That said, our survey also shows that nearly half are not as prepared for this opportunity and will require both education and support."

This confusion is often held by business owners who currently provide employee benefits to their workers. In a separate study conducted by eHealth, approximately 56 percent of business owners said that they weren't clear about whether they were required to provide health coverage for their employees.

In 2014, all business owners who employ more than 50 workers will be required to make health coverage available. Small business owners with fewer than 50 employees don't have this requirement.